Velocipede



J. SCKNLAN.

VELOCIPEDE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJB, 1919.

Patented June 8, 1920.

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I. SCA-N'LAN.

VELOCIPEDE.

I APPUCATION FILED AUG.|6| 1919.

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| 'IIIIII JOSEPH SCANLAN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

VELOCIPEDE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 192 0.

Application filed August 16, 1919. Serial No. 317,926.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SoANLAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to velocipedes, and has for its object to produce a conveyance of this kind in the form of an animal for the use and amusement of children.

It is the aim of the invention to more closely simulate the appearance of an animal, especially in the steering apparatus, the body being vertically iOlIltGCl intermediate of its front and hind legs and means being provided for turning the front section for steermg.

Another object is to improve and simplify the propelling mechanism, so that it may be readily operated by the rider, and access may be had to said mechanism when desired for oiling or repairing. Other objects will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this specification, and then more specifically defined in the claims at the end of the description.

' In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters are used to des ignate corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a side elevation of a velocipede made substantially in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a broken longitudinal section of the velocipede, the head being shown thrown back in dotted lines, and

Fi 4: is a transverse section on the line IV V of Fig. 3.

The body of the velocipede is preferably made in the form of a horse, as illustrated in the drawings, but it will be understood that other forms of bodies may be employed without departing from my invention. he body is made in two sections, the rear section 1 being supported by oblique braces 2 and vertical braces 3 upon the axle 4 of a rear pair of wheels 5, while the front section 6 is supported bv obli ue braces 7 and vertical braces 8 upon the axle 9 of a front pair of wheels 10. Said sections 1 and 6 are jointed together by vertical pivots 11 and 12, the rear end of the front section fitting into the front end of the rear section and having a limited movement therein for steering the velocipede, as will be readily understood. The steering may be effected by pulling on the bridle 14 which is connected to the mouth portion of the head 13 of the body which is made in a separate piece but forms a continuation of the front section 6.

The head 13 is hinged to the front section 6 at 15, said hinge being preferably located at the top of their meeting faces 16. Be tween said head and front section, that is, along their meeting edges 16, there are formed arcuate slots 17 opening on each side of the body, and through said slots extend the ends of a cross bar 18 carrying right-angularly extending arms 19 having handles 20 at their extremities. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that one of the handles is arranged'at each side of the head of the body, thus providing for the use of both hands of the rider when seated on the rear section of the body for reciprocating said handles, arms 19 and cross bar 18.

The cross bar 18 is mounted on the outer free end of a lever 21 fulcrumed on a shaft 22 journaled in straps 23 extending upwardly and forwardly from the braces 8, as

shown in Fig. 3. Said lever carries a pawl 25 adapted to engage a gear 26 mounted on the shaft 22 and meshing with another gear 27 on another shaft 280 journaled in the braces 8.- This shaft 280 carries disks 28 which serve as cranks for the connection of pitmen 29 which are pivotally connected at their lower ends at 30 to cranks 31 on the front axle 9. From this construction it will be seen that when the handles 20 are pulled backward from the solid line position illustrated in Fig. 3 to the dotted line position in the same figure, the pawl 25 will engage the gear 26 and the latter in rotating will turn the gear 27 and disks 28, thus causing the pitmen 29 to correspondingly turn the front axle 9 and the wheels 10 carried thereby for propelling the velocipede. After the forward stroke of the handles has returned them to the solid line position in Fig. 3, the pawl 25 slipping over the teeth of the gear 26 during such stroke, the driving rearward stroke may be repeated in order to continue the forward movement of the velocipede.

The vertical braces 8 may be secured at their upper ends to the interior of the front section 6 of the body by a bolt 24, Fig. 3, while the upper ends of the braces may be secured to the lower pivot 12 which connects said front section to the rear section of the body. When the handles and cross bar 18 are at their rearmost position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the head 3 may be swung back upon the body on the hinge 15, as shown in dotted lines in the same figure, for permitting access to the gears 26 and 27, shafts 22 and 280, and disks 28, for oiling and repairing when necessary.

The body may be equipped with jointed front legs comprising upper sections 32 pivoted to the front section 6 of the body at 320 and to the lower sections 33 of the legs at 34:, said lower sections 33 being pivoted at 35 to cranks 36 on the ends of the shaft 9 so that when said shaft is rotated the legs will move to simulate galloping. The rear legs are similarly made in sections 37 and 38, the former pivoted to the rear section 1 of the body at 370 and to the lower leg sections at 39. The lower leg sections 38 are pivoted at 40 to cranks 41 on the ends of the rear axle 4 so that the rear legs will also move as in galloping when the velocipede is in motion. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a velocipede, the combination with a body in the form of an animal, of wheels for supporting said body, a shaft for the front wheels, another shaft housed in the front portion of the body, driving connection between said shafts, a gear for rotating said shaft in the body, a lever carrying a pawl to engage said gear for actuating the same, a transverse bar attached to said lever and extending through slots in the body, and handles on'the opposite ends of said bar and arranged at opposite sides ofthe body for operating the lever by both hands of the rider.

2. In a velocipede, the combination with a body in the form of an animal, of wheels for supporting said body, a crank shaft for the front wheels, a shaft housed in the front portion of the body, cranks on said latter shaft, pitmen connecting said cranks and crank shaft, a gear for rotating said shaft in the body, a lever carrying a pawl to engage said gear for actuating the same, a transverse bar attached to said lever and extending through slots in the body, and bandles on the opposite ends of said bar and arranged at opposite sides of the body for operating the -lever by both hands of the rider.-

3. In a velocipede, the combination with a body, of wheels for supportin said body, a crank shaft for the front w eels, a shaft housed in the body, cranks on said latter shaft, pitmen connecting said cranks and crank shaft, a gear for rotating the shaft in the body, a lever fulcrumed on the crank shaft and carrying a pawl to engage the gear, a transverse bar on said lever, said body having arcuate slots in its sides through which the ends of said bar extend and in which they may be reciprocated, and handles on the ends of said bar.

4. In a velocipede, the combination with a'body in the form of an animal, of wheels for supporting said body, a crank shaft for the front wheels, a shaft housed in the body, cranks on said latter shaft, pitmen connecting said crank shaft, a gear for rotating the shaft in the body, a lever fulcrumed on the shaft in the body and carrying a pawl to engage said gear, a transverse bar on said lever, said body having its head portion hinged thereto to permit access to the gear and lever, there being arcuate slots in the sides of the body at the juncture of said hinged head portion therewith, the ends of said bar extending through said slots, and

handles on the. ends of said bar.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH SCANLAN 

